Non-fiction Bestsellers

We strive to anticipate customer demand for the best new releases. If a book has had a great review in the press then chances are we will have it in stock. If you can’t see something you’re looking for please ask our staff. For reading or gift suggestions and orders please visit the shop or call us on 01932 862903. We can usually offer next-day delivery.

Our displays also reflect the new books that are good and interesting, which may or may not also be top of the national lists. We hope you will enjoy browsing and discovering in store.

Here is the list of the 20 bestselling non-fiction and gift books in The Cobham Bookshop during October. You can click on each image for more information.

1 5 Ingredients by Jamie Oliver

2 Prisoners of Geography by Tim Marshall

3 Private Eye Annual by Ian Hislop

4 Patronising Bastards by Quentin Letts

5 Hillbilly Elegy by J D Vance

6 A Life of My Own by Claire Tomalin

7 The Templars by Dan Jones

8 Jenson Button Life to the Limit

9 Cobham A History by David Taylor

10 The Darkening Age by Catherine Nixey

11 This is Going to Hurt by Adam Kay

12 Escaping Hitler by Monty Halls

13 Les Parisiennes by Anne Sebba

14 The Surrey Colouring Book

15 Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari

16 To Catch a King by Charles Spender

17 All Out War by Tim Shipman

18 The Man who Created the Middle East by Christopher Simon Sykes

19 Unseen London by Peter Dazeley

20 Richard III by Chris Skidmore

Our March bestsellers were:

1 Quantum Mechanics by Jim Al-Khalili

2 Prisoners of Geography by Tim Marshall

3 Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari

4 I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou

5 NGS Garden Visitors Handbook

6 When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanathi

7 The Penguin Lessons by Tom Michell

8 Five on Brexit Island by Bruno Vincent

9 Cure A Journey into the Science of Mind over Body by Jo Marchant

10 Mary Berry Everyday by Mary Berry

11 Woman’s Hour by Alison Maloney

12 The Ladybird Book of the Meeting

13 Five Give up the Booze by Bruno Vincent

14 Lean in 15 The Shape Plan by Joe Wicks

15 London Uncovered by Mark Daly

16 Lines in the Sand by A A Gill

17 A Guinea Pig Oliver Twist by Alex Goodwin

18 Being Mortal by Atul Gawande

19 The War Within by Alexis Perry

20 Pour Me A Life by A A Gill

Our February bestsellers were:

1 Pour Me by A A Gill

2 How it Works The Grandparent by Jason Hazeley

3 Lion by Saroo Brierley

4 The Romanovs by Simon Sebag Montefiore

5 Five on Brexit Island by Bruno Vincent

6 Being Mortal by Atul Gawande

7 Felix the Railway Cat by Kate Moore

8 Climate Change by HRH The Prince of Wales

9 Quantum Mechanics by Jim Al-Khalili

10 Hardens Best UK Restaurants

11 The Undoing Project by Michael Lewis

12 The Road to Little Dribbling by Bill Bryson

13 The Map of Heaven by Dr Eben Alexander

14 SAS Survival Guide by John ‘Lofty’ Wiseman

15 Jumpin Jack Flash by Keiron Pim

16 The Good Pub Guide by Fiona Stapley

17 The Book of Joy by HH The Dalai Lama and Archbishop Desmond Tutu

18 Surrey Street Atlas

19 Man of Iron by Julian Glover

20 Cure by Jo Marchant

Our January bestsellers were:

1 Prisoners of Geography by Tim Marshall

2 Climate Change by HRH Prince of Wales

3 Hello Is This Planet Earth? by Tim Peake

4 The Wood in Winter by John Lewis-Stempel

5 Five on Brexit Island by Bruno Vincent

6 The Invention of Nature by Andrea Wulf

7 Pour Me: A Life by A A Gill

8 23 Things They Don’t Tell You About Capitalism by Ha-Joon Change

9 The Little Book of Hygge by Meik Wiking

10 Istanbul: A Tale of Three Cities by Bettany Hughes

11 Walking Away by Simon Armitage

12 Get Control of Sugar Now! by Paul McKenna

13 Red Notice by Bill Browder

14 After the Prophet by Lesley Hazleton

15 Tired of London, Tired of Life by Tom Jones

16 The Shepherd’s Life by James Rebanks

17 New Zealand Eyewitness Guide

18 The Silk Roads by Peter Frankopan

19 Farrow and Ball: The Art of Colour

20 Stonehenge by Francis Pryor

Our December bestsellers were:

1 Private Eye Annual edited by Ian Hislop

2 Five on Brexit Island by Bruno Vincent

3 The GCHQ Puzzle Book

4 Five Go on a Strategy Away Day

5 The Best of Matt

6 Five Go Gluten Free by Bruno Vincent

7 Five Give Up the Booze by Bruno Vincent

8 Stop the World I Want to Get Off edited by Iain Hollingshead

9 How It Works The Grandparent

10 How It Works The Cat

11 The Penguin Lessons by Tom Michell

12 Muhammad Ali A Memoir by Michael Parkinson

13 Planet Earth II by Stephen Moss

14 Scorn edited by Matthew Parris

15 Keeping On Keeping On by Alan Bennett

16 Hugh Johnson’s Pocket Wine Guide

17 How It Works The Dog

18 The Pigeon Tunnel by John Le Carre

19 The Riviera Set by Mary S Lovell

20 Prisoners of Geography by Tim Marshall

Our November bestsellers were:

1 Five on Brexit Island by Bruno Vincent

2 Five Give Up the Booze by Bruno Vincent

3 Private Eye Annual edited by Ian Hislop

4 Five Go Gluten Free by Bruno Vincent

5 Five Go On a Strategy Away Day by Bruno Vincent

6 Five Go Parenting by Bruno Vincent

7 Keeping On Keeping On by Alan Bennett

8 Prisoners of Geography by Tim Marshall

9 The Best of Matt from The Daily Telegraph

10 Kind of Blue by Ken Clarke

11 Hugh Johnson’s Pocket Wine Book

12 The GCHQ Puzzle Book

13 The Little Book of Hygge by Meik Wiking

14 Stop the World I Want to Get Off edited by Iain Hollingshead

15 The Silk Roads by Peter Frankopan

16 The Ladybird Book of the Meeting

17 The Road to LIttle Dribbling by Bill Bryson

18 SAS Rogue Heroes by Ben Macintyre

19 The Plumdog Path to Perfection by Emma Chichester Clark

20 Jeremy Hutchinson’s Case Histories

Our October bestseller were:

1 Private Eye Annual ed Ian Hislop

2 SAS Rogue Heroes by Ben Macintyre

3 Prisoners of Geography by Tim Marshall

4 The Best of Matt from The Daily Telegraph

5 A Life in Questions by Jeremy Paxman

6 England’s Cathedrals by Simon Jenkins

7 Nadiya’s Kitchen by Nadiya Hussain

8 Keeping On Keeping On by Alan Bennett

9 Nigel My Family and Other Animals by Monty Don

10 Kind of Blue by Ken Clarke

11 Plato and a Platypus Walk into a Bar by Daniel Klein and Thomas Cathcart

12 Dreaming of Dior by Charlotte Smith

13 Dreaming of Chanel by Charlotte Smith

14 The Pigeon Tunnel by John Le Carre

15 The Little Book of Hygge by Meik Wiking

16 Meetings with Remarkable Manuscripts by Christopher de Hamel

17 Cobham From Old Photographs by Peter Cornell

18 Super Food Family Classics by Jamie Oliver

19 The Good Pub Guide by Fiona Stapley

20 Dashing for the Post by Patrick Leigh Fermor

Our September bestsellers were:

1 Nadiya’s Kitchen by Nadiya Hussain

2 The Penguin Lessons by Tom Michell

3 The Road to Little Dribbling by Bill Bryson

4 SAS Rogue Heroes by Ben Macintyre

5 Play All: A Bingewatcher’s Notebook by Clive James

6 Simple by Diana Henry

7 How to Love by Thich Nhat Hanh

8 When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi

9 The Invention of Nature by Andrea Wulf

10 The Pigeon Tunnel by John Le Carre

11 Lean in 15: The Shape Plan by Joe Wicks

12 Born to Run by Bruce Springsteen

13 Hugh Johnson’s Pocket Wine Book 2017

14 The 8 Week Blood Sugar Diet by Michael Mosley

15 A Brief History of Time by Stephen Hawking

16 Blood and Sand by Frank Gardner

17 Nigel: My Family and Other Animals by Monty Don

18 Prisoners of Geography by Tim Marshall

19 The Book of Hygge by Louisa Thomsen Brits

20 The Euro by Joseph Stiglitz

Our August bestsellers were:

1 The Book of Hygge by Louisa Thomsen Brits

2 The Silk Roads by Peter Frankopan

3 The Road to Little Dribbling by Bill Bryson

4 The Student by Jason Hazeley

5 How to Love by Thich Nhat Hanh

6 How to Relax by Thich Nhat Hanh

7 SPQR by Mary Beard

8 France 2015 National Map 721 from Michelin

9 The Meaning of Cricket by Jon Hotten

10 Venice Eyewitness Pocket Map and Guide

11 Guildford and Farnham OS Explorer 145

12 Weatherland by Alexandra Harris

13 The New Spymasters by Stephen Grey

14 The Times 2 Jumbo Crossword Book 10

15 Prisoners of Geography by Tim Marshall

16 Hugh Johnson’s Pocket Wine Book 2017

17 The Invention of Nature by Andrea Wulf

18 The Woman and the Car by Dorothy Levitt

19 Reasons to Stay Alive by Matt Haig

20 The 8 Week Blood Sugar Diet by Michael Mosley

Our July bestsellers were:

1 Black Holes: The Reith Lectures by Stephen Hawking

2 The Penguin Lessons by Tom Michell

3 Black Box Thinking by Matthew Syed

4 SPQR by Mary Beard

5 The Establishment by Owen Jones

6 The Road to Little Dribbling by Bill Bryson

7 The Silk Roads by Peter Frankopan

8 Somme: Into the Breach by Hugh Sebag-Montefiore

9 Evelyn Waugh: A Life Revisited by Philip Eade

10 The European Union by Chris Bickerton

11 How to Relax by Thich Nhat Hanh

12 BBC Proms 2016 Guide

13 Lonely Planet German Phrasebook and Dictionary

14 Lean in 15: the Shape Plan by Joe Wicks

15 When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi

16 Poitou Charentes Green Guide from Michelin

17 A Very English Scandal by John Preston

18 Labrador by Ben Fogle

19 Skyfaring: A Journey with a Pilot

20 The Secret War by Max Hastings

Our June bestsellers were:

1BBC Proms Guid

2 How it Works: The Dad

3 Arthur by Mikael Lindnord

4 The Long Weekend by Adrian Tinniswood

5 A Natural History of the Hedgerow by John Wright

6 The Secret War by Max Hastings

7 How Not To Die by Michael Greger

8 A Brief History of Time by Stephen Hawking

9 Surrey Street Atlas

10 The Road to Little Dribbling by Bill Bryson

11 Uprooted by Nina Lyon

12 Somme: Into the Breach by Simon Sebag-Montefiore

13 English Humour for Beginners by George Mikes

14 The Bicycle Book from Dorling Kindersley

15 The Fall of the Ottomans by Eugene Rogan

16 SPQR by Mary Beard

17 Poem for the Day edited by Nicholas Alberry

18 Quiet Leadership by Carlo Ancelotti

19 Tide by Hugh Aldersey-Williams

20 Adventures in Human Being by Gavin Francis

Our May bestsellers were:

1 BBC Proms Guide 2016

2 The Road to Little Dribbling by Bill Bryson

3 Burma 44 by James Holland

4 Surrey Street Atlas

5 Black Holes, the BBC Reith Lectures by Stephen Hawking

6 The Running Hare by John Lewis-Stempel

7 The Shepherd’s Life by James Rebanks

8 The Age Fix by Anthony Youn

9 Lean For Life the Louise Parker Method

10 The Establishment by Owen Jones

11 Lean in 15 by Joe Wicks

12 The Examined Life by Stephen Grosz

13 2017 War With Russia by General Sir Richard Shirreff

14 The 8 Week Blood Sugar Diet by Michael Mosley

15 Uprooted by Nina Lyon

16 The Last Royal Rebel by Anna Keay

17 OS Explorerer 102 Land’s End, Penzance and St Ives

18 Saladin by John Man

19 Cure by Jo Marchant

20 Culloden by Trevor Royle

Our April bestsellers were:

1 BBC Proms Guide 2016

2 How Not To Die by Michael Greger

3 The Road to Little Dribbling by Bill Bryson

4 NGS Gardens to Visit 2016

5 OS Explorer 145 Guildford and Farnham

6 Playfair Cricket Annual 2016

7 Lonely Planet Pocket Rome

8 Horrible Words by Rebecca Gowers

9 The Vital Question by NickLane

10 Six Facets of Light by Ann Wroe

11 Friends Are Cheaper Than Therapy by Cath Tate

12 SPQR A History of Ancient Rome by Mary Beard

13 The Official Highway Code

14 The Churchill Factor by Boris Johnson

15 Surrey Street Atlas

16 Broken Vows by Tom Bower

17 When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi

18 And the Weak Suffer What They Must? By Yanis Varoufakis

19 Bar Chef by Frankie Solarik

20 Spring An Anthology for the Changing Seasons edited by Melissa Harrison

Our March bestsellers were:

1 Mary Berry Foolproof Cooking

2 Friends are Cheaper than Therapy by Cath Tate

3 Hemsley Hemsley Good + Simple

4 Ladybird How it Works The Mum

5 The Romanovs 1613-1918 by Simon Sebag Montefiore

6 The Churchill Factor by Boris Johnson

7 Deep South by Paul Theroux

8 The Shepherd’s Life by James Rebanks

9 Broken Vows by Tom Bower

10 Being Mortal by Atul Gawande

11 The Official Highway Code

12 Child Portraits by 40 Great Artists by Juliet Heslewood

13 Dorking, Box Hill and Reigate OS Map

14 Letters of Note edited by Shaun Usher

15 The Economist Pocket World in Figures

16 The 8 Week Blood Sugar Diet by Michael Moseley

17 Spring An Anthology of the Changing Seasons edited by Melissa Harrison

18 Spark Joy by Marie Kondo

19 Into the Black by Rowland White

20 At the Existentialist Cafe by Sarah Bakewell

Our February bestsellers were:

1 How it Works The Mum

2 The Romanovs 1618-1918 by Simon Sebag Montefiore

3 Jeremy Hutchinson’s Case Histories by Thomas Grant

4 Deliciously Ella Every Day by Ella Woodward

5 Mary Berry Foolproof Cooking

6 The Official Highway Code

7 The 8 Week Blood Sugar Diet by Michael Mosley

8 Lean in 15 by Joe Wicks

9 When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi

10 Forever Chic by Caroline Cox

11 The Life Changing Magic of Tidying by Marie Kondo

12 The Seat of the Soul by Gary Zukav

13 How It Works The Wife

14 The Good Pub Guide 2016

15 Surrey Street Atlas

16 Deliciously Ella by Ella Woodward

17 The Good Food Guide 2016

18 Spring An Anthology for the Changing Seasons edited by Melissa Harrison

19 Good+ Simply by Hemsley + Hemsley

20 Catullus’ Bedspread by Daisy Dunn

Our January bestsellers were:

1 Jamie’s 30 Minute Meals by Jamie Oliver

2 Spark Joy An Illustrated Guide to the Japanese Art of Tidying by Marie Kondo

3 Lean in 15 by Joe Wicks

4 The Secret War by Max Hastings

5 The Ladybird Book of the Midlife Crisis

6 The 8 Week Blood Sugar Diet by Michael Mosley

7 Notes from a Small Island by Bill Bryson

8 The Fall of the Ottomans by Eugene Rogan

9 Hugh Johnson’s Pocket Wine Book

10 SPQR A History of Ancient Rome by Mary Beard

11 The Churchill Factor by Boris Johnson

12 Cook Nourish Glow by Amelia Freer

13 Juiceman by Andrew Cooper

14 We Go to the Gallery by Miriam Elia

15 Seven Brief Lessons on Physics by Carlo Rovelli

16 The Life Changing Magic of Tidying by Marie Kondo

17 The Northmen’s Fury by Philip Parker

18 The Romanovs 1613-1918 by Simon Sebag Montefiore

19 Jeremy Hutchinson’s Case Histories by Thomas Grant

20 Jane Bown A Lifetime of Looking

Our December bestsellers were:

1 How It Works: The Husband

2 How It Works: The Wife

3 The Road to Little Dribbling by Bill Bryson

4 The Ladybird Book of the Mid-Life Crisis

5 Private Eye Annual 2015

6 The Ladybird Book of Dating

7 The Best of Matt 2015

8 Britain’s Best Political Cartoons 2015

9 Has the World Gone Completely Mad? by Iain Hollingshead

10 The Secret War by Max Hastings

11 Simply Nigella by Nigella Lawson

12 The Ladybird Book of Mindfulness

13 The Ladybird Book of the Hipster

14 Hugh Johnson’s Pocket Wine Book 2016

15 The Good Pub Guide 2016

16 1,234 QI Facts to Leave You Speechless

17 SPQR A History of Ancient Rome by Mary Beard

18 The Churchill Factor by Boris Johnson

19 We Go To The Gallery by Miriam Elia

20 The Economist Pocket World in Figures 2016

Our November bestsellers were:

1 Private Eye Annual 2015

2 How it Works: The Husband

3 The Best of Matt

4 Has the World Gone Completely Mad? Unpublished Letters to The Daily Telegraph edited by Iain Hollingshead

5 The Ladybird Book of Mindfulness

6 The Secret War by Max Hastings

7 Labrador by Ben Fogle

8 The Ladybird Book of the Hangover

9 How it Works The Wife

10 Under the Cedar by David Taylor

11 Off the Leash It’s a Dog’s Life by Rupert Fawcett

12 The Ladybird Book of the Mid-Life Crisis

13 Neurotribes by Steve Silberman

14 Do No Harm by Peter Marsh

15 Hugh Johnson’s Pocket Wine Book 2016

16 Britain’s Best Political Cartoons edited by Tim Benson

17 Seven Brief Lessons on Physics by Carlo Rovelli

18 The Wren Boys by Carol Ann Duffy

19 Norwegian Wood by Lars Mytting

20 The Road to Little Dribbling by Bill Bryson

Our October bestsellers were:

1 The Road to Little Dribbling: More Notes from a Small Island by Bill Bryson

2 We British by Andrew Marr

3 Everyday Super Food by Jamie Oliver

4 Do No Harm by Henry Marsh

5 Has the World Gone Completely Mad? Unpublished Letters to the Daily Telegraph